Luke 12:17-27

17 He began to think to himself, "I don't have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do?

18 This is what I will do,' he told himself; "I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store the grain and all my other goods.

19 Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!' ¹

20 But God said to him, "You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?' "

21 And Jesus concluded, "This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God's sight."

22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, "And so I tell you not to worry about the food you need to stay alive or about the clothes you need for your body.

23 Life is much more important than food, and the body much more important than clothes.

24 Look at the crows: they don't plant seeds or gather a harvest; they don't have storage rooms or barns; God feeds them! You are worth so much more than birds!

25 Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?

26 If you can't manage even such a small thing, why worry about the other things?

27 Look how the wild flowers grow: they don't work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. ²

Cross References

• 1. +212.19Ben Sira 11.19.
• 2. 12.27 1 K 10.4-7;2 Chronicles 9.3-6.

Footnotes

• [a]. live a bit longer; [or] grow a bit taller.